Tourism Research Centre at UPEI releases report on PEI’s cruise ship passengers
The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at UPEI has released a new report profiling cruise ship passengers to PEI in 2007 and 2008. The survey was conducted by distributing it to passengers who disembarked in September and October of 2007, and again in May and June of 2008.
The cruise ship passenger to PEI has quite a different profile than the typical overnight pleasure visitor to PEI. 'While only seven percent of our overnight pleasure visitors for the year come from the US,' stated TRC Research Director Dr. Monica MacDonald, 'over 80 per cent of cruise ship passengers to PEI are from the US.' Cruise ship passengers also tend to be older: in 2007 86 per cent of passengers to PEI were 55 or older, although in 2008 this figure dropped to 69 per cent.
Results also show that many of the passengers had not been to PEI before. Typically, about 20 per cent of overnight pleasure visitors to PEI are visiting the province for the first time, whereas about 85 per cent of the cruise ship passengers were first-time visitors. In the survey, passengers were asked if they would return to PEI for a vacation. While few (less than two per cent in 2008) said they would return in the next year, approximately 15 per cent (averaged over 2007 and 2008) said they would return sometime after a year, and 43 per cent said they may return at some point in the future.
'It would be worthwhile to follow up with these potential visitors and encourage them to return to PEI for a full vacation,' said Dr. MacDonald. 'Our cruise ship passengers have higher incomes than our typical overnight pleasure visitors to PEI, and gave good ratings when evaluating their short experience here.'
In 2008 cruise ship visitors to PEI spent an average of almost six hours away from the ship - minimal time for the province to leave a lasting impression. Nevertheless, in 2008 about two thirds of passengers chose to participate in an organized shore excursion, an increase from 58 per cent in 2007. Many of those (about 62 per cent) not taking organized excursions explored Charlottetown on foot and/or visited historic sites in the city. About 38 per cent shopped, and the percentage of passengers who chose to dine at a restaurant increased from 14 per cent in 2007 to 32 per cent in 2008.
Average spending per passenger increased from $39.04 in 2007 to $47.75 in 2008. To compare, the average overnight pleasure visitor to PEI spends $49.46 when accommodation is omitted. On average, about one third of spending by cruise ship passengers goes toward organized tours, and almost $6.00 per passenger is spent at a restaurant.
The full report is available on the exit survey section of the TRC's website: www.trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. Further information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, University of PEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.
